Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Pilgrims at the canonization Mass for Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 7, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

‘Surge of enthusiasm’ among Catholic in Asia after St. Carlo Acutis canonization 

Young Catholics in Asia are “experiencing a surge of enthusiasm” around the life of the newly canonized St. Carlos Acutis, according to the testimony of Father Will Conquer, a Paris Foreign Missions Society priest stationed in Cambodia, according to a Sept. 8 UCA News report. 

“In Asia, where digital culture is omnipresent, Carlo Acutis stands out as a ‘saint 2.0,’” said Conquer, who added that the young saint’s life “resonates particularly in this region where young people, connected and searching for meaning, find in him an accessible and inspiring role model.” 

Catholic leaders in Jerusalem gather for conference on property tax laws 

The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land gathered at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem on Sept. 10 for a “high-level conference dedicated to the Arnona property tax issue,” the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a Sept. 12 press release. 

The conference comes after the Jerusalem Municipality’s decision to impose the Arnona municipal property tax on church properties, breaking with the historic status quo that has exempted Christian churches in the Holy Land from paying property taxes since the Ottoman Empire.

According to the release, the conference opened with a keynote address by Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who “emphasized that the status quo regarding the Arnona tax has come to an end and that change is inevitable.” Pizzaballa further called for leaders among the assembly to unite and “for institutions to prepare themselves collectively and responsibly for the upcoming changes.”

Catholic charity delivers water to South Korean city plighted by drought

A charity organization called the Catholic Medical Angels has delivered 10 tons of water to the coastal city of Gangneung in South Korea, where rapidly declining water levels in the city’s Obong Reservoir has prompted a water crisis, according to a report from UCA News.

“Though it is a small effort, we hope it helps the citizens of Gangneung and that this severe drought is resolved as soon as possible,” said Min Chang-Ki, director of the Catholic Medical Center, which oversees the Catholic Medical Angels.

The delivery took place on Sept. 3 and was carried out at parishes across the local Chuncheon Diocese. The diminishing reservoir ordinarily supplies about 87% of the city’s tap and industrial water, the report said.

Filipino priest to receive Nobel Prize of Asia for opposition toward former president 

Filipino priest Father Flavie Villanueva will receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Asia,” for his work building shelters for Manila’s homeless population and “defending victims of extrajudicial killings” in former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug crackdown, according to Crux.

“I accept this on behalf of the thousands of homeless and those victims of social injustice, particularly the EJK victims, that they may have a face in this fast-changing world,” Villanueva said in a press conference on Wednesday. He will receive the award officially in a ceremony on Nov. 7.

Catholics in Nepal hoping for an end to violence amid corruption protests

Catholics in Nepal are hoping for an end to ongoing violence, according to Nepal priest Father Silas Bogati, after anti-corruption protests in the country escalated on Sept. 6, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 people, according to a Sept. 10 Crux report.

“Violence is never a solution to problems, and now we hope there will be peaceful transition and people can live in peace,” the priest said. “For the Catholic Church, we want to see the end of violence and arson attacks and get a peaceful solution to the ongoing problems.”

The priest’s words come after “a full curfew” was enacted following Saturday’s unrest, which was ignited by social media bans across the country.

The World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines 2025 no longer has the caveat that abortion drugs should only be used where “legally permitted or culturally acceptable.” / Credit: KadirKARA/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 17:34 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

WHO promotes abortion drugs on essential medicines list

Pro-life leaders are expressing concern after the inclusion of abortion drugs in the World Health Organization (WHO)’s latest annual list of essential medicines, noting that the drugs can be “dangerous.” 

The Model List of Essential Medicines 2025, released on “International Safe Abortion Day,” had a section dedicated to abortion drugs, which for the first time did not include the caveat that these medicines are not legal or culturally acceptable everywhere. 

According to WHO, “the list no longer carries the boxed caveat, in place since 2005, that singled out these medicines as only to be used where legally permitted or culturally acceptable.” 

Dr. Ingrid Skop, vice president and director of medical affairs for Charlotte Lozier Institute and a board-certified OB-GYN, expressed concern that these drugs were being recommended for use around the world, noting that abortion drugs “have a complication rate four times higher than surgical abortion.”

“As many as 1 in 5 women will suffer a complication and 1 in 20 will require surgical completion,” Skop said. “Also, a recent study found that more than a third of women who used abortion drugs were unprepared for the amount of pain and bleeding they encountered.” 

“Yet, the WHO is recommending them for use in Third World countries with poor health care systems, where emergency care may be limited or nonexistent,” Skop continued. 

Calling the action a part of WHO’s “population control and eugenic agenda,” Skop urged WHO to “instead devote more attention to helping countries obtain the resources they need to impact maternal mortality, such as blood-banking for hemorrhage and antibiotics and critical care for infections.”

Michael New, a senior associate scholar at Charlotte Lozier Institute and assistant professor of practice at The Catholic University of America, added that the WHO’s decision was “disappointing” but “unsurprising.” 

“The World Health Organization has always had a very strong pro-abortion bias,” New said, noting that the group’s website calls abortion a “critical public health and human rights issue.”

New also noted that WHO’s website “wrongly claims that ‘evidence shows that restricting access to abortions does not reduce the number of abortions’ even though many, many studies show the incidence of abortion is impacted by its legal status.” 

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Political Affairs Communications Director Kelsey Pritchard expressed gratitude that the U.S. withdrew from WHO in January.  

“Thank goodness President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the pro-abortion WHO, and they keep proving that decision right,” she said. “The abortion industry — including foreign, criminal abortion drug rings — is flooding every state with these drugs whether it is legal or not.” 

Pritchard also noted that abortion drugs can be “dangerous.” 

“A mounting body of scientific evidence and real-life horror stories show abortion drugs are far more dangerous than advertised, exposing the serious risks they pose to women and girls as well as unborn children,” she said. 

“Week after week these dangerous drugs cause more tragedies: Women coerced and poisoned, girls rushed to the ER, mothers dying along with their babies — all while the abortion industry profits from deception and abusers benefit from unfettered drug access,” Pritchard continued.

Pritchard anticipated the FDA’s review of the drug, saying that “we’re confident once the evidence is examined, it will be undeniable how harmful these drugs truly are.” 

California bill allowing anonymous abortion prescriptions awaits signature 

A California bill that would allow health care providers to anonymously prescribe abortion drugs could soon become law. 

The law would allow a pharmacist to dispense abortion drugs “without the name of the patient, the name of the prescriber, or the name and address of the pharmacy, subject to specified requirements,” according to the bill’s text.

The law would allow abortionists to anonymously mail abortion medication to patients in California and in the rest of the U.S., even to states where these abortion drugs are illegal. This could make it harder for states to build legal cases against abortionists operating under shield laws.

New York attorney general intervenes in landmark legal battle over abortion shield laws

Attorney General Letitia James is intervening in a landmark case involving a New York abortionist who allegedly prescribed abortion pills to a patient in Texas, where the drugs are illegal. 

James sent a letter to the state Supreme Court judge in Ulster County, New York, saying she has the authority to enforce the state’s shield law — a law designed to protect abortionists who violate the laws of other states. 

The abortion shield law prohibits state officials from cooperating with investigations into abortionists for out-of-state abortions, even when abortion drugs are illegal in those states.

The legal battle is among the first challenges to New York’s 2023 shield law.

A 45-year-old Iraqi Christian who fled his homeland to escape Islamist persecution was stabbed to death in Lyon in southern France on the evening of Sept. 10, 2025. / Credit: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock

Lyon, France, Sep 12, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA).

A 45-year-old Iraqi Christian who fled his homeland to escape Islamist persecution was stabbed to death in Lyon in southern France on the evening of Sept. 10.

He was reportedly livestreaming a video on TikTok in which he spoke about his faith. The attack has shocked local Christian communities and drawn calls for clarity on the motives behind the killing. 

According to local newspaper Le Progrès, the victim, identified as Ashur Sarnaya — who was disabled and used a wheelchair — was returning to his apartment building when a man, apparently waiting for him, struck him in the neck with a knife. Emergency services, alerted shortly before 10:30 p.m., found him in cardiac arrest and were unable to revive him. 

Born in 1979, Sarnaya had lived in the building with his sister for more than a decade after fleeing the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014. Neighbors described him as “a vulnerable person who didn’t walk and never caused any trouble.”

An anti-Christian murder?  

Relatives told local media that Sarnaya, an Assyrian Christian, regularly hosted live sessions on TikTok in the evenings in which he spoke about Christianity. In a video clip that was still circulating online the following morning, he appeared with his face covered in blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

“He was a normal person. He did live videos on TikTok to spread the word of God. He had no enemies, no problems with anyone,” his sister told RMC-BFM Lyon, recounting how she was alerted by friends who were watching the livestream at the moment of the attack. “When I arrived, he was dead. He was on the ground, there were lots of people, the police, the firefighters.”

On his social media accounts, Sarnaya often shared testimonies of faith in Arabic. In one post cited by Aleteia France, he complained that his content was frequently blocked or suspended due to reports from Muslim users. In March, he claimed to have been physically attacked by Muslims.

The president of the Assyro-Chaldean Association of Lyon, Georges Shamoun Ishaq, told the Catholic media that Sarnaya was “a very kind, discreet person, deeply believing, who liked to speak about the Christian faith.”

The Lyon prosecutor’s office has opened a homicide investigation, entrusted to the Division of Organized and Specialized Crime. At this stage, investigators are not prioritizing any hypothesis — whether criminal, political, religious, or drug-related. AFP reportedly received a video footage of a man in dark clothing and a hood leaving the scene, identified as the presumed attacker.

Catholic organizations respond 

Catholic organizations in France have expressed strong concern. Œuvre d’Orient condemned “with the greatest firmness the murder of a vulnerable Iraqi Christian,” stressing that “it is essential that Christians of the Middle East be able to witness to their faith in safety and live with dignity.” 

SOS Chrétiens d’Orient recalled that Sarnaya had fled the persecution of ISIS in Iraq. “It is unimaginable that a Christian who fled persecution should be murdered in France,” the organization stated, calling for prayers for the repose of his soul and for his family. 

Family members also paid tribute to Sarnaya on social media. One cousin described him as a martyr on Facebook: “He was preaching live when his life was tragically taken,” the post read, adding that his faith would always remain an inspiration.

Reactions from political leaders have so far been limited. Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing party Rassemblement National, claimed on X that Sarnaya “was savagely stabbed to death in Lyon by an Islamist. While granting asylum to the persecuted is legitimate, our uncontrolled immigration policy now leads us to welcome their executioners.” 

Lyon-based influencer Verlaine, also paid tribute to the victim on X, highlighting his noticeable presence on social media, “where he shared above all his Catholic faith…,” suggesting that it was the reason why he was killed. “Rest in peace, Sir,” he wrote. 

Relentless rise of anti-Christian acts in France 

The killing of Sarnaya comes against a backdrop of growing concern over anti-Christian incidents in France. Advocacy groups have repeatedly warned of a rise in acts targeting churches, cemeteries, and believers over the past years.  

On Aug. 7, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau asked prefects to reinforce protection of Christian places of worship, particularly around the feast of the Assumption. According to official figures, 401 anti-Christian acts were recorded between January and June, an increase of 13% compared with the same period in 2024. Vandalism and desecration of churches account for the majority of these attacks.  

Earlier this week, on Sept. 8, a statue of the Virgin and Child was deliberately set on fire during Mass at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours in Guingamp (Brittany). The same statue had already been targeted by arson in 2015 and 2021. 

On July 25, the Notre-Dame des Champs church in Paris’ sixth arrondissement was also the target of an arson attack. A year ago, the arson attack that devastated a historic church in northern France had already caused a wave of national emotion. 

The relative lack of media coverage given to anti-Christian acts, which number in the hundreds each year, has fueled concerns among Catholic observers that this phenomenon may worsen if not addressed with greater seriousness.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Archbishop Timothy Broglio, USCCB president, said the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation will continue “important work.” / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 12, 2025 / 16:34 pm (CNA).

The Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism established in 2017 by former United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston has officially been made a permanent body within the USCCB, according to a Sept. 10 press release. 

The newly created, permanent Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation “continues the important work of the temporary ad hoc committee,” said USCCB President Archbishop Timothy Broglio. 

“As we call for a genuine conversion of heart that will compel change at both individual and institutional levels,” he continued, “I invite all Catholics to join us as we carry forward this work to recognize and uphold the inherent dignity of every person made in the image and likeness of God.”

The Administrative Committee of the USCCB approved the transition on Sept. 9, according to the press release, noting that the new subcommittee falls “under the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.” 

The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development “seeks to teach about and to witness to the intrinsic dignity of the human person as an antidote to the grave sin of racism” and “explores and implements concrete solutions to address the racism that still pervades our society and our Church today, and works in collaborative ways to strengthen the response of all people to this evil.”

The move to cement the ad hoc committee comes as part of the bishops’ “ongoing commitment to addressing the sin of racism,” the release noted. 

The committee’s chair, Bishop Joseph Perry, also weighed in, stating: “I speak on behalf of the bishop members, staff, and consultants of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism in expressing gratitude for the transition of our committee to a standing subcommittee so that the important work of evangelization of the faithful and the community at large may continue in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

The committee will officially begin work after this year’s November plenary assembly.

Pope Leo XIV meets with bishops on Sept. 11, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 16:04 pm (CNA).

In a meeting with bishops appointed in the last year, Pope Leo XIV exhorted them to address issues related to inappropriate behavior on the part of the clergy: “They can’t be put away in a drawer.”

At the end of his Sept. 11 morning address to the prelates participating in the formation course organized by the Holy See, the Holy Father engaged them in a fraternal dialogue, giving them the opportunity to convey their concerns and worries.

The pontiff offered an overview of the challenges and issues bishops face at the beginning of a new ministry, such as fear, a sense of unworthiness, and the different expectations each had for their lives before being called.

Don’t be frightened by the first difficulty

As the Vatican noted in a statement released Sept. 12, the Holy Father also offered the bishops some valuable advice: “Remain close to the Lord, set aside time for prayer, and continue to live out unconditional trust in the Holy Spirit, the origin of one’s vocation.”

He also exhorted them to be persevering disciples “who do not allow themselves to be frightened by the first difficulty; pastors close to the people and to priests, merciful and firm, even when it is a matter of making a judgment; capable of listening and dialogue, not just preaching sermons.”

Pope Leo XIV also emphasized the value of the pastoral and human experience acquired in a local Church, which must be developed in a new ministry that puts bishops in touch with the universality of the Church.

The pope emphasized to the new bishops the value of witness and the ability to stay in touch with the world as they respond to questions that people are asking today about the meaning of life and evil in the world. “The answers learned 25 years ago in the seminary are not enough,” he pointed out.

Regarding synodality, the Holy Father — who headed the Dicastery for Bishops — explained that it is not a pastoral method but rather “a style of Church, of listening and of common search for the mission to which we are called.”

“Be builders of bridges,” he said. He also asked them to value the role of the laity, integrating it into the life of the Church and to an “unarmed and disarming” peace because “peace is a challenge for all!”

Misdeeds cannot be ‘put away in a drawer’

Before answering questions, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the bishops to promptly address issues related to inappropriate behavior on the part of the clergy: “They cannot be put away in a drawer; they must be addressed with a sense of mercy and true justice toward the victims and the accused.”

The pontiff thanked the new bishops for accepting the ministry: “I pray for you; the Church appreciates your ‘yes’; you are not alone; together we bear the burden and together we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Prudence on social media

In response to questions posed by the bishops, the Holy Father spoke of the need to be prudent in the use of social media, where the risk is that “everyone feels authorized to say whatever he wants, even things that are false.” He added: “There are times when getting to the truth is painful, but necessary.”

He encouraged the bishops to use communications professionals who are trained in the field, offering three specific pieces of advice: “Keep calm, use sound judgment, and seek the help of a professional.”

Speaking of the challenges of every new ministry, Pope Leo XIV urged the new bishops to trust in God’s grace, to recognize their own gifts and limitations, and to rely on the help of others, including the valuable experience of a good bishop emeritus who can accompany or advise. He also warned against the temptation to form an inner circle and become isolated within it.

Formation in seminaries

The pontiff reiterated the need to build bridges and seek dialogue, even where Christians are a minority, with genuine respect for people of other religious traditions, especially through the witness of Christian love and mercy.

The Holy Father also addressed formation in seminaries, particularly the responsibility of initial formation, urging the bishops to be welcoming, to receive vocations, and to accompany each person in the discovery of other dimensions of the Gospel and of Christian and missionary life.

Speaking about mission, Pope Leo suggested that the bishops rely on those authentic, missionary laypeople present in eccesial movements who can be a source of hope for the local Church.

In response to questions about the serious consequences of environmental crises, the pope recalled the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and encouraged promoting this theme in pastoral care. He added that in this area, “the Church will be present,” without mixing in other issues contrary to Christian anthropology.

Young people’s thirst for spiritual life

According to the Vatican, the meeting also addressed the relationships between the various organizations in the universal and local Church, the process of appointing bishops, the need to confront together the many current crises in the world, and the value of the bishops’ presence to those who suffer.

The new bishops also had the opportunity to speak with the Holy Father about young people, particularly in Europe after the recent jubilee for them, and about their questions about communion and prayer, and their thirst for spiritual life, which they have not been able to quench either in the virtual world or “in the typical experiences at our parishes.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo waves to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 6, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).

A new report from a Pew Research Center survey finds that 8 out of 10 American Catholics view Pope Leo XIV favorably.

According to the report, 84% of U.S. Catholics surveyed say they have a “mostly favorable” view (47%) of the pope or a “very favorable” view (37%) — while only 4% of Catholics view him unfavorably and 11% say they have never heard of him.

Among non-Catholic Americans, more than half of those surveyed (56%) say they view him favorably, while 31% say they have never heard of him.

Pew surveyed 9,916 U.S. adults (which includes 1,849 Catholics) from July 8 through Aug. 3. The margin of error in the survey is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The very same percentage of U.S. Catholics — 84% — viewed Pope Francis favorably in the early months of his pontificate as well, according to the report.

Those who attend Mass more often have a more favorable view of the new pope. Among U.S. Catholics who attend Mass weekly or more often, 95% say they have a favorable view. Of those who attend Mass once or twice a year or a few times a month, the number stands at 84%, while 77% of Catholics who seldom or never attend Mass say they have a favorable view.

More than three-quarters of U.S. Catholics say they are excited that Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, is the first U.S.-born pope.

Though so many view him in a positive light, only 7% of Catholic survey respondents say they know a lot about the new pope, while a quarter say they know nothing at all. Just under 70% say they know “a little” about the pontiff, who spent decades working for the Church in Peru, eventually serving as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. 

He was elected to the papacy by the College of Cardinals on May 8 after the death of Pope Francis on April 21.

Among weekly Catholic Mass attendees, 75% say they only know a little about the new pope, and 11% say they know nothing.

“These numbers show both the excitement and the challenge of a new papacy,” said Montse Alvarado, president and COO of EWTN News (CNA’s parent company). “While Pope Leo XIV has been warmly received, many still don’t know his story.” 

“With our presence in Peru and the Vatican, and decades of experience covering the Church, EWTN News is uniquely positioned to help Catholics understand the people and places that shaped the Holy Father — and to serve as a force for unity for his pontificate,” she said.

The latest findings are part of Pew’s American Trends Panel, part of Pew’s ongoing research on Catholicism in the U.S.

In June, Pew reported that nearly 50% of adults in the U.S. have some connection to the Catholic faith. 

“Catholicism’s roots in the United States run deep,” Pew stated in the report titled “U.S. Catholicism: Connections to the Religion, Beliefs, and Practices.”

Pew found that 47% of U.S. adults have Catholic ties: 20% identify as Catholic, 9% as “culturally Catholic,” 9% as ex-Catholic, and 9% report a connection through a Catholic parent, spouse, or past Mass attendance.

Alveda King has suffered three assassinations in her family: that of her father, Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King; her grandmother, Alberta King; and her renowned uncle, Martin Luther King Jr. / Credit: “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo”/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

After the assassination of Charlie Kirk at a college campus on Wednesday, Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., encouraged people to pray.

“It broke my heart,” King said when asked about her reaction to learning of the assassination.

“I was so very startled when I got the news that Charlie had been shot, and my heart immediately went to him and his family, his beautiful wife, his little children,” she told Raymond Arroyo on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.”

“Having experienced those kinds of occurrences in my own family, I immediately went into prayer,” she said.

King shared about her own experience with political assassinations in her family. Not only was her uncle, Dr. King, assassinated but her father, Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King, was also assassinated as well as her grandmother, Alberta King.

“For me, I am a Christian. I still have the peace and the joy of the Lord, but it’s almost like a trauma or a trigger point when those things happen,” King said. 

But amid the trauma, King encouraged listeners to “do what my uncle talked about,” encouraging people to have “regard for human dignity.” 

“We’ve got to care again,” King said. “We’ve got to see human beings as human beings — from the womb to the tomb and beyond.”

“We’ve got to get back to a point of caring, of loving, of repenting, of forgiving,” she continued. “Therein lies the answer.”

The greatest of these is love 

Calling Charlie Kirk a “man of faith,” King said she will remember him with a Scripture verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13.

“Now abides faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love,” she said. “That’s the way that I do remember Charlie.”

King said she believed that if Charlie Kirk, Dr. King, or President John F. Kennedy were still with us, they would encourage us to not “seek our answers in humanity.” 

“We’re going to find not our heroes in humanity, but we’re going to have to look to Jesus at these times,” King said. 

“We’re living in tumultuous times, and social media drives us to retaliate, to strike back,” she said. “I want to remind people that if you don’t agree with someone, you don’t shoot the person. You pray, you talk, and you consider your position. But this violence is just absolutely wrong.”

She noted that we are living in “a time of violence and anger and fear and frustration.” 

“So that leads me to say to everyone: fear not, listen, love, communicate,” she said. 

King encouraged listeners “to do something good for someone” in remembrance of Charlie Kirk and in memory of the victims of the violence on the 24th anniversary of 9/11. 

“I would remind us to call for peace, to call for prayer,” she said. “And I know Charlie would want us to do that as well.”

The premiere of “Triumph of the Heart” in Dallas on Sept. 8, 2025. / Credit: Nicole Marie Richards

CNA Staff, Sep 12, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A new film called “Triumph of the Heart” depicts St. Maximilian Kolbe’s last days on earth in a starvation bunker in the German death camp of Auschwitz. The film will be released in theaters on Sept. 12.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan friar and priest who volunteered to die in place of another man in Auschwitz. He spent the last 14 days of his life in a starvation bunker alongside nine other men.

At the film’s Sept. 8 premiere in Dallas, where over 1,000 people gathered at the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building on the University of Texas at Dallas campus to show their support and watch the film, writer and director Anthony D’Ambrosio told CNA on the red carpet that it was “surreal” to see the magnitude of the premiere. 

He explained that it was originally meant to be a more intimate gathering with roughly 200 people in attendance but “God, of course, had other plans,” D’Ambrosio said. “I think that what I’m seeing is that God keeps on growing our vision for where he wants to take the film, where he wants to take this story.” 

The current rise in faith-based media

Actors who also spoke on the red carpet discussed the resurgence of faith-based media being seen in today’s culture. 

Michael Iskander, who portrays King David in Prime Video’s “House of David” and served as the master of ceremonies for the premiere, said he believes “Christ is pouring his heart out to all of us in every way possible and media is one of those frontiers that hasn’t really been touched yet.”

He credited the hit series “The Chosen” for “paving the path for so much faith-based filmmaking and showing people that this is a market that people want to see.”

A recent convert to Catholicism, Iskander shared that St. Maximilian Kolbe was one of the first saints he learned about from the Catholic Church. He highlighted the saint’s use of media to spread the Gospel message to the masses and said it is “fitting that this film and this rise in Christianity, especially in filmmaking, had to do with St. Kolbe.”

Jeff Schiefelbein, co-host of the podcast “The Beatidudes” and an investor in “Triumph of the Heart,” said he believes there is a resurgence in faith-based media because people are “sick of all the fake stuff.”

“We’re being told to compare ourselves to things that aren’t even important. The materialism has swung so far that the pendulum is making its way back,” he said. “... I think there’s going to be this resurgence … of young people, Gen Xers, old people coming back and saying, ‘Wait, we want what’s real, what’s true, what’s good, and what’s beautiful’ and so it is rooted in the Gospel when we go and seek those.”

Marcellino D’Ambrosio, a well-known author, Catholic commentator, and executive producer of the film — also the father of Anthony D’Ambrosio — called this moment we’re seeing in faith-based media “a Holy Spirit moment.”

“Human beings always need God but I think something really special is going on right now,” he said. 

“St. Augustine said it well: Our hearts are restless until we rest in him. And success in the culture — this is a fascinating thing that actually goes back even to the successful cultures in Rome — there’s an emptiness when you have a certain amount of success and you have leisure; nothing satisfies but God,” he added. “So it oftentimes leads people to that restlessness that St. Augustine talks about — to look for him, to be open to him, and I think that’s what’s going on in our culture right now.”

A film that inspires hope

As for what those involved in the film hope viewers take away from it, the major theme they mentioned was their wish that it fills the audience with hope.

“I hope they will take away hope,” Marcellino D’Ambrosio said. “I hope that everyone realizes that God is real; I have a future, no matter how bad the present looks … he’s with me in the present and he has something in store for me that’s greater than my wildest dreams.”

Rowan Polonski, the actor who portrays Albert in the film — one of the men in the starvation bunker alongside Kolbe — told CNA his hope is for the audience to be “pleasantly surprised in the way that they’re moved.”

“Entering into this movie, you could quite easily walk in thinking it’s going to be a pretty dark and heavy write, but what I want them to walk out with is a sense of joy and catharsis,” he added. “And a sense that no matter how dark times can get, how low one can feel, there’s always a way out, there’s always a crack of light somewhere that you can cling onto and follow through and it’s normally in the form of love.”

Producer Cecilia Stevenson added: “I really want people to feel love when they watch this movie and specifically to feel the love of Our Lord and how he enters into our suffering with us, just like Kolbe did for those men in that film. Our movie, Kolbe’s story, it’s a modern-day example that ultimately points us to Christ, and I really hope people feel that love and I hope it gives them hope, that there is meaning in life and that suffering itself can have meaning.”

Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. / Credit: “EWTN News in Depth”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 18:37 pm (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the United States:

Benedictine College launches AI center on Carlo Acutis’ canonization day

In response to calls by Pope Leo XIV to the rise of artificial intelligence, Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, launched its new Center for Technology and Human Dignity to promote Catholic digital and biomedical ethics on the same day as Carlo Acutis’ canonization on Sept. 7 in Rome. 

“We are excited to dedicate this center under the patronage of St. Carlo Acutis, a model of how Catholics should use new technology thoughtfully but without fear. And its biomedical emphasis will help as we pursue a medical school,” said Benedictine College President Stephen Minnis in a press release. 

The center will be directed by Benedictine College Professor of Theology and Bioethics Mariele Courtois, who is also a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education’s research group on artificial intelligence.

2 Marquette University lacrosse players killed in drunk driving incident 

In a Sept. 6 Mass celebrated at the Marquette University Theatre, students, faculty, and staff mourned the loss of two lacrosse players killed in a drunk driving incident, according to reports.

Two students, Noah Snyder and Scott Michaud, were killed in the accident, which occurred when an unidentified 41-year-old woman who was driving while intoxicated struck their car. Four other students, including three lacrosse players, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. 

“When only standing room was available in the 1,000-seat facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jesuit university, students, and members of the Marquette community lined the walls of the theater and watched the Mass from the lobby,” a report said. 

School to issue public apology after alleged racist incident

The parents of a student who was expelled from a Catholic school in Oregon after they confronted the administration over a racist incident that took place in March have reportedly reached an agreement with the school. 

According to local reports, the Madeleine School will issue a public apology to parents Karis Stoudamire-Phillips and her husband, Mike, who are African American, in addition to promising to rectify its actions after an incident in which their son was allegedly called the N-word on the playground. 

When the couple confronted the school, the school’s principal allegedly dismissed the incident. The principal has since been fired, and the school issued a pledge to “[maintain] an educational environment free from the scourge of racism.” 

Catholic Church in Oklahoma announces plan to open new school after SCOTUS ruling 

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma and the Diocese of Tulsa have announced plans to open a new Catholic virtual school after their plan to open the first religious charter school in the nation was blocked by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. 

St. Carlos Acutis Academy will officially open in August 2026 as a private Catholic institution, enrolling K–8 students for its first year and adding grades each year until the school reaches K–12, the Oklahoman reported.

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of St. Carlo Acutis Classical Academy,” said the school’s head, Misty Smith.“Our mission is to bring the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition into homes through an online format embracing classical curriculum resources that combine both synchronous and asynchronous learning.”

“St. Carlo Acutis said: ‘To be with God, that is my life project,’” she added, “and everything we at the academy do walks us closer to unity with Christ.”

Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a vocal evangelical Christian who was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, speaks at an event in Texas in 2018. / Credit: Carrington Tatum/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 11, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).

Just a few months before he was assassinated on Sept. 10, Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk — a conservative campus activist and an outspoken evangelical Christian — said that upon his death, he would want to be remembered for his Christian faith.

“If everything completely goes away, how do you want to be remembered?” Jack Selby, host of The Iced Coffee Hour, asked Kirk at the end of a June 29 interview.

“If I die?” Kirk responded.

“Everything just goes away,” Selby said. “If you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?”

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk answered. “That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith.”

Kirk was murdered early Wednesday afternoon while conversing with students at Utah Valley University as part of his “The American Comeback Tour.” He had set up a tent with a banner that read “Prove Me Wrong,” urging people to approach and debate his views if they object to his political, religious, or philosophical positions.

It began similarly to Kirk’s other campus tours, with students and others lining up to ask him questions. About 3,000 people attended to either watch or debate him.

Just 20 minutes into the event, an attendee asked Kirk about transgenderism and gun violence. He and Kirk had a brief back-and-forth before someone perched on a nearby roof fired a single bullet from a bolt-action rifle, which pierced the left side of Kirk’s neck and ended his life.

One witness named Brandon Russon told CBS News that shortly before Kirk was shot, he was discussing his Christian faith with a different attendee. In that conversation, Russon recalled Kirk proclaiming to the crowd that “Christ is Lord” and the Son of God had “defeated death.”

This was a common trend in his campus activism.

Earlier this year, Kirk debated an atheist student who asked him about working with atheist conservatives. Although Kirk said he would welcome anyone who supports good causes, he cautioned that atheism cannot produce a proper moral code.

“You must be an honest atheist and acknowledge that morality is definitionally subjective without a belief in God,” he said. “That you cannot be an atheist and believe in objective morality. It is an impossibility and true atheists will acknowledge this.”

Kirk noted that atheists have “ought” claims. They suggest that things ought to be a certain way, such as that “murder ought to be wrong,” but cannot proclaim objective moral standards “if there is not a divine eternal power over you.”

“It’s a very important truth claim because when you do not have objective truth anchoring your society, then it becomes a power struggle,” Kirk warned. “If you do not have truth, then power will reign. Whoever can get the most amount of power then ends up having the most amount of say over society. We believe what is objectively right, true, good, and beautiful should be transcendent over society.”

Kirk often discussed his faith in interviews, including one with prominent atheist Bill Maher on the “Club Random” podcast this year, where Kirk explained the Christian doctrines of grace and atonement. 

“We believe [Christ] … suffering the death that he did on the cross was him atoning for our sins, the sins of humanity” Kirk told Maher. “... It is at a core a statement of human equality, that we’re all sinners, we’re all screwed up. We all got problems. We all got vices. … We all fall short of God’s standard and Jesus makes us whole.”

Throughout his career, Kirk encouraged young people to get married and start families, argued against abortion and gender ideology, and worked to inspire college students to follow Christ.

Charlie Kirk’s relationship with the Catholic Church

Although Kirk was Protestant, he often engaged in theological discussions with Catholics. His wife, Erika, is a baptized Catholic, and the couple and their two children have been seen at a Catholic church in Scottsdale, Arizona.

During a podcast this year, Kirk told a caller: “Catholics are just fabulous in so many different ways.”

“They fight for life, they fight for marriage, they fight against transgenderism,” he said.

The caller asked Kirk about Catholic Mariology, an issue where Kirk said he believes Catholics go “too far.” Yet, Kirk said he would be “happy to debate it” and that evangelicals could “do a better job of remembering, studying, talking about and pointing towards Mary because she was a vessel chosen by God Almighty that brought Our Lord into this world.”

“We as Protestants, evangelicals, under-venerate Mary,” he said. “She was very important. She was a vessel for Our Lord and Savior. I think that we … overcorrected. We don’t talk about Mary enough, we don’t venerate her enough. Mary was clearly important to early Christians. There’s something there. In fact, I believe one of the ways that we fix toxic feminism in America is: Mary is the solution.”

Kirk also spoke about the trend that “many young men are going back to church” when he was interviewed by Tucker Carlson this year. He called church a “life raft in this tsunami of chaos and disorder” and noted that many are attending Catholic Mass because “they want something that has lasted” and “they want something that is ancient and beautiful.”

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, posted on X that Kirk “genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ” and “had a profound faith.” Vance noted that Kirk was a friend, and they would often debate theological subjects.

“We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions,” he said. “Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him.”

Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron posted on X that he had breakfast with Kirk about four years ago and discussed theology. Kirk was scheduled to appear on his show “Bishop Barron Presents” in less than two weeks.

“He was indeed a great debater and also one of the best advocates in our country for civil discourse, but he was, first and last, a passionate Christian,” Barron said. 

“In fact, when we had that breakfast in Phoenix, we didn’t talk much about politics,” Barron said. “We talked about theology, in which he had a deep interest, and about Christ. I know I’m joining millions of people around the world in praying that he rests now in the peace of the Lord.”

Kirk also joined in grieving for the victims of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting last month in Minneapolis. On his show, he discussed how one can believe in God even amid tragedy.

“The cross is God’s answer to evil,” Kirk said. “... The question should not be ‘why does evil exist?’ Instead, it should be ‘what has God done about it?’ And the cross is the answer.”